SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday called on Russia to abide by the laws of the sky and cease "irresponsible behaviour" when asked about Russian attacks on U.S. drones in Syria.
The U.S. military said a MQ-9 drone over Syria was "severely" damaged when it was hit with a flare from a Russian fighter jet earlier this week, the latest in a series of close interactions between Russian and U.S. military aircraft in the region.
Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are in Australia for the annual Australia-U.S.
"We'll continue to engage using the established channels to convey our concern and we'll continue to engage senior leadership as appropriate.
But, again, we will continue to operate, as we have always operated in the airspaces, and we will protect our interests and our resources," said Austin.
Persons:
Lloyd Austin, Austin, Antony Blinken, We'll, Praveen Menon, Lincoln
Organizations:
SYDNEY, U.S . Defense, Austin, . Ministerial, Thomson
Locations:
Russia, Syria, The U.S, Russian, Brisbane, Australia